ME/CFS Evidence Browser — Classified Studies on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

4721–4740 of 6,188 studies

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus-Related Virus (XMRV) and the Safety of the Blood Supply.

Johnson, Andrew D, Cohn, Claudia S·Clinical microbiology reviews·2016

In 2009, a virus called XMRV was found in some ME/CFS patients and created significant concern about blood safety. However, scientists later discovered that the virus actually came from contaminated laboratory samples, not from patients' actual infections. This paper explains how the virus was traced back to a laboratory mouse and why it turned out not to be a real threat to ME/CFS patients or blood donors.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM unclearObservational

Life according to ME: Caught in the ebb-tide.

Lian, Olaug S, Rapport, Frances·Health (London, England : 1997)·2016

This study asked 10 people with ME in Norway to share stories and photos about places where their illness felt better or worse. The researchers found that people with ME carefully balance activity and rest, and they seek out peaceful places (usually home) to recover while avoiding places that drain their energy. The study shows how the physical and emotional qualities of different environments directly affect how people experience and manage their ME.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM unclearMechanistic

Novel identification and characterisation of Transient receptor potential melastatin 3 ion channels on Natural Killer cells and B lymphocytes: effects on cell signalling in Chronic fatigue syndrome/Myalgic encephalomyelitis patients.

Nguyen, T, Staines, D, Nilius, B et al.·Biological research·2016

This study looked at special channels called TRPM3 on immune cells (natural killer cells and B cells) that help control calcium flow inside cells. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS have fewer of these channels on certain immune cells and problems with calcium movement compared to healthy people. This suggests that broken calcium control in immune cells might play a role in ME/CFS, though much more research is needed to understand what this means for the illness.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCase-Control

Reversal of Refractory Ulcerative Colitis and Severe Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms Arising from Immune Disturbance in an HLA-DR/DQ Genetically Susceptible Individual with Multiple Biotoxin Exposures.

Gunn, Shelly R, Gunn, G Gibson, Mueller, Francis W·The American journal of case reports·2016

This case report describes one 25-year-old man who had both severe inflammatory bowel disease and chronic fatigue syndrome that improved dramatically after identifying and removing mold exposure from his home, receiving a hormone replacement therapy (VIP), and doing stress-reduction exercises. The patient's genetic makeup made him more susceptible to problems when exposed to toxic mold, and treating the underlying immune disturbance resolved his symptoms without medication.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

The Putative Role of Viruses, Bacteria, and Chronic Fungal Biotoxin Exposure in the Genesis of Intractable Fatigue Accompanied by Cognitive and Physical Disability.

Morris, Gerwyn, Berk, Michael, Walder, Ken et al.·Molecular neurobiology·2016

This paper reviews how viruses (like EBV and cytomegalovirus), bacteria (like those causing Lyme disease), and mold exposure might cause ME/CFS in some patients. The authors explain that standard treatments like counseling and exercise have limited success, and suggest that doctors should look more carefully for hidden infections or past mold exposure when standard blood tests don't find an obvious cause.

E3 PreliminaryPEM unclear

Caring for people with severe myalgic encephalomyelitis: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of parents' experiences.

Mihelicova, Martina, Siegel, Zachary, Evans, Meredyth et al.·Journal of health psychology·2016

This study listened to parents who care for severely ill ME/CFS patients and asked about their experiences. Researchers found that parents often feel their identity has changed, experience guilt, feel isolated from others, deal with uncertainty about the future, and develop ways to cope with the demands of caregiving. The study provides important insights that could help healthcare providers better support and understand these caregivers.

Interventions

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Chronic fatigue syndrome and sleep disorders: clinical associations and diagnostic difficulties.

Ferré, A·Neurologia·2016

This review looked at the connection between ME/CFS and sleep problems. Many people with ME/CFS experience non-restorative sleep (where sleep doesn't feel refreshing) and fatigue, but these same symptoms can happen with other sleep disorders. The key finding is that doctors need to carefully check whether patients have a separate sleep disorder before or alongside an ME/CFS diagnosis, because treating the sleep problem might help improve overall quality of life.

SleepDiagnostics

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredCase-Control

Bottom-up proteomics suggests an association between differential expression of mitochondrial proteins and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Ciregia, F, Kollipara, L, Giusti, L et al.·Translational psychiatry·2016

This study looked at proteins in the mitochondria—the energy-producing structures in cells—to see if they differ in people with ME/CFS compared to healthy people. Researchers found that two specific proteins (ATPB and ACON) were higher in people with ME/CFS, suggesting these could potentially be useful markers to help identify the condition. The findings also hint that different subgroups of ME/CFS patients may have different protein patterns, which could eventually lead to more personalized treatments.

Biomarkers

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

Fifteen-minute consultation: Medically unexplained symptoms.

Cottrell, David John·Archives of disease in childhood. Education and practice edition·2016

This article discusses how doctors can better understand and manage symptoms that don't have an obvious medical cause, which is common in children. It explains that anxiety about missing a serious illness can sometimes get in the way of good care, and provides a practical model for how doctors should assess and treat these patients based on the best available evidence.

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

The Deleterious Effects of Oxidative and Nitrosative Stress on Palmitoylation, Membrane Lipid Rafts and Lipid-Based Cellular Signalling: New Drug Targets in Neuroimmune Disorders.

Morris, Gerwyn, Walder, Ken, Puri, Basant K et al.·Molecular neurobiology·2016

This review explains how harmful molecules called oxidative and nitrosative stress damage specific fatty structures in cells that are important for cell communication and brain function. These damaged structures may contribute to ME/CFS, along with other conditions affecting the brain and immune system. The authors suggest that omega-3 fatty acid supplements might help restore these damaged cellular structures.

NeuroinflammationEnergy MetabolismImmune System

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Efficacy of rintatolimod in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).

Mitchell, William M·Expert review of clinical pharmacology·2016

This review examines rintatolimod, a potential ME/CFS treatment that works by activating the immune system's antiviral defenses. The drug has shown promising results in clinical trials, with patients experiencing meaningful improvements in their symptoms and few serious side effects. This is important because ME/CFS currently has no approved medications, and rintatolimod represents one of the most advanced treatment options in development.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryDiagnosticPEM not requiredMethods-Paper

Development of the Sensory Hypersensitivity Scale (SHS): a self-report tool for assessing sensitivity to sensory stimuli.

Dixon, Eric A, Benham, Grant, Sturgeon, John A et al.·Journal of behavioral medicine·2016

Researchers created a new questionnaire called the Sensory Hypersensitivity Scale (SHS) to measure how sensitive people are to everyday sensations like touch, sound, taste, and temperature. The tool was tested on over 1,200 people and worked well at identifying those with heightened sensory sensitivity. People with fibromyalgia scored higher on the scale than those with other types of chronic pain, suggesting the tool could help identify central sensitization—a condition where the nervous system amplifies pain signals.

Pain and Sensitization

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Exhaustion and the Pathologization of Modernity.

Schaffner, Anna Katharina·The Journal of medical humanities·2016

This article examines how doctors and thinkers over the past 300 years have understood and written about exhaustion-related illnesses. The author looks at six historical examples to show how medical ideas about exhaustion have been connected to broader changes in society and technology, rather than being purely biological problems.

E3 PreliminaryCohortPEM not requiredCross-Sectional

The experience of sleep in chronic fatigue syndrome: A qualitative interview study with patients.

Gotts, Zoe M, Newton, Julia L, Ellis, Jason G et al.·British journal of health psychology·2016

This study asked 11 people with ME/CFS to describe their sleep problems in detail through interviews. The researchers found that sleep is extremely important to everyone with ME/CFS—all participants felt their sleep was somehow 'broken' and spent a lot of energy trying to manage it. Everyone agreed that poor sleep made their daytime symptoms worse, though each person experienced sleep problems in their own unique way.

Sleep

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM not requiredReview-Narrative

The Role of Microbiota and Intestinal Permeability in the Pathophysiology of Autoimmune and Neuroimmune Processes with an Emphasis on Inflammatory Bowel Disease Type 1 Diabetes and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Morris, Gerwyn, Berk, Michael, Carvalho, André F et al.·Current pharmaceutical design·2016

This review explores how problems with the gut barrier and changes in gut bacteria may trigger widespread immune activation and brain inflammation in ME/CFS and other autoimmune diseases. When the intestinal lining becomes more permeable (leaky), bacteria and their products can enter the bloodstream, potentially causing the fatigue, brain fog, and other symptoms characteristic of ME/CFS.

NeuroinflammationImmune System

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Moxibustion upregulates hippocampal progranulin expression.

Yi, Tao, Qi, Li, Li, Ji et al.·Neural regeneration research·2016

This study tested whether moxibustion, a traditional Chinese medicine technique using heat from burning herbs, could help rats with chronic fatigue syndrome. Researchers found that moxibustion reduced stress hormone levels and increased a protective protein in the brain called progranulin, which appeared to improve the rats' symptoms of fatigue and low mood.

Neuroinflammation

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM not requiredMechanistic

Effects of Chronic Diurnal Disruption and Acute Inflammatory Challenge on Mice with Latent Murine Gammaherpesvirus Infection.

Trammell, Rita A, Toth, Linda A·Comparative medicine·2016

This study examined how disrupted sleep-wake cycles (like those from shift work) affect mice infected with a dormant virus, especially when their immune systems are weakened. Researchers found that mice exposed to disrupted schedules who then experienced inflammation had higher levels of reactivated virus in their lungs. This suggests that combining poor sleep patterns with immune challenges might trigger symptom flare-ups similar to those seen in ME/CFS.

Immune System

E3 PreliminaryCommentaryPEM unclearEditorial

The role of the hippocampus in the pathogenesis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).

Saury, Jean-Michel·Medical hypotheses·2016

This study proposes that a brain structure called the hippocampus—which helps control memory, stress responses, and pain perception—may play a key role in ME/CFS. The researcher suggests that whatever triggers ME/CFS damages the hippocampus, leading to problems with thinking, sleep, and pain regulation, which then causes people to become less active. This reduced activity further damages the hippocampus, creating a harmful cycle that keeps the illness going.

Neuroinflammation

E3 PreliminaryReviewPEM unclearReview-Narrative

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: Current Applications, Effectiveness, and Future Perspectives.

Choi, Hyun Ho, Cho, Young-Seok·Clinical endoscopy·2016

This article reviews fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), a treatment where healthy gut bacteria from a donor are transferred into a patient's digestive system to treat disease. The procedure can be done several different ways and has shown promise for treating many conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome. However, many important questions remain unanswered about who should donate, how to do it safely long-term, and how to regulate it properly.

E3 PreliminaryMechanismPEM requiredCross-Sectional

Dysregulation of Protein Kinase Gene Expression in NK Cells from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Patients.

Chacko, Anu, Staines, Donald R, Johnston, Samantha C et al.·Gene regulation and systems biology·2016

This study looked at immune cells called NK cells in people with ME/CFS to understand why they don't work properly. Researchers examined the activity of hundreds of genes that control how these immune cells function and found that many genes were turned on or off abnormally in severely ill patients compared to healthy people. This suggests that problems with how these genes are regulated may explain why NK cells cannot fight infections effectively in ME/CFS.

Immune System

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Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus-Related Virus (XMRV) and the Safety of the Blood Supply.

Life according to ME: Caught in the ebb-tide.

Novel identification and characterisation of Transient receptor potential melastatin 3 ion channels on Natural Killer cells and B lymphocytes: effects on cell signalling in Chronic fatigue syndrome/Myalgic encephalomyelitis patients.

Reversal of Refractory Ulcerative Colitis and Severe Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms Arising from Immune Disturbance in an HLA-DR/DQ Genetically Susceptible Individual with Multiple Biotoxin Exposures.

The Putative Role of Viruses, Bacteria, and Chronic Fungal Biotoxin Exposure in the Genesis of Intractable Fatigue Accompanied by Cognitive and Physical Disability.

Caring for people with severe myalgic encephalomyelitis: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of parents' experiences.

Chronic fatigue syndrome and sleep disorders: clinical associations and diagnostic difficulties.

Bottom-up proteomics suggests an association between differential expression of mitochondrial proteins and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Fifteen-minute consultation: Medically unexplained symptoms.

The Deleterious Effects of Oxidative and Nitrosative Stress on Palmitoylation, Membrane Lipid Rafts and Lipid-Based Cellular Signalling: New Drug Targets in Neuroimmune Disorders.

Efficacy of rintatolimod in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).

Development of the Sensory Hypersensitivity Scale (SHS): a self-report tool for assessing sensitivity to sensory stimuli.

Exhaustion and the Pathologization of Modernity.

The experience of sleep in chronic fatigue syndrome: A qualitative interview study with patients.

The Role of Microbiota and Intestinal Permeability in the Pathophysiology of Autoimmune and Neuroimmune Processes with an Emphasis on Inflammatory Bowel Disease Type 1 Diabetes and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Moxibustion upregulates hippocampal progranulin expression.

Effects of Chronic Diurnal Disruption and Acute Inflammatory Challenge on Mice with Latent Murine Gammaherpesvirus Infection.

The role of the hippocampus in the pathogenesis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: Current Applications, Effectiveness, and Future Perspectives.

Dysregulation of Protein Kinase Gene Expression in NK Cells from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Patients.

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